By Don Urquhart, Times-Chronicle
A coalition of Canada’s largest seniors’ living operators is making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for their long-term care and retirement home staff nation-wide.
The coalition is led by Chartwell, Extendicare, Responsive Group, Revera and Sienna, operator of Mariposa Gardens in Osoyoos.
As of October 12, 2021, staff who are not fully vaccinated will be placed on an unpaid leave of absence. Full vaccination is also required for all new hires, students and agency personnel, across each organization.
In B.C., the move follows the announcement in mid-August by health officials that a new public health order will make vaccination mandatory and is a condition of employment for those working in those settings. They will need to be fully vaccinated by Oct.12.
The coalition emphasizes that the new vaccination policy will enhance protection against the virus for the people they care for and team members who deliver that care, as well as essential caregivers and visiting family members.
“The fourth wave of COVID-19 is here, with cases rising across the country,” the group says. “Variants of the virus, such as Delta and other evolving variants like Lambda, are highly transmissible and continue to pose significant risk to seniors, people with health issues and those who have not yet been fully vaccinated.”
Canada’s largest seniors’ care providers say they are doing everything they can to remain vigilant and protect the vulnerable populations in their care from the virus.
“Frontline staff at each organization have demonstrated an enthusiastic response to our voluntary vaccination programs. We thank them for their commitment, but we need to do more,” they add.
The group also emphasizes that vaccinations “are safe, highly effective and significantly reduce the risk of serious illness and hospitalization.”
Each operator has removed barriers to vaccination and continues to provide supports to their frontline staff including education, appointment booking and paid time for vaccination, resulting in already high staff vaccination rates that continue to rise each week, they say.
“In light of this, we do not expect any impact on staffing levels. We are optimistic our staff will continue to act in the best interest of our communities and will work to achieve full vaccination across our homes.”
Rates of infection are once again increasing in communities across the country, and unvaccinated staff are more likely to bring the virus to work, according to the group.
“The safety of our residents in long-term care and retirement homes, who trust us to provide the care and services they need, is paramount.
“This policy will increase their level of safety and improve quality of life for residents by reducing the need for isolation and disruption of daily activities that result from outbreak restrictions. It also protects ongoing access to visits from family members, which are critical to the well-being of all those in our care for whom outbreak restrictions have been difficult.”
